Happy National Quilting Day!
March 21, 2020
“To gain knowledge for the future, demands wisdom of the past.”
💖Welcome to the Sankofa Newsletter Blog!
The word Sankofa originates from the Twi language of the Akan tribe of Ghana, West Africa. It means “go back and get it.” The Akan people believe the past and the future are eternally intertwined and any pursuit of knowledge must demonstrate this understanding.
The Sankofa Newsletter is a mini-guide to culture and news. A monthly publication that features four articles to inspire, enlighten, and stimulate intellectual curiosity. Get a free copy delivered to your email inbox today. Share, Like, Subscribe. Happy Reading! LaSheba Baker, Creator & Editor
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Sankofa Newsletter
March 2020 Edition
Culture & News
Sharity, Not Charity
Mallence Bart-Williams is a social entrepreneur whose powerful Ted Talk “Change Your Channel” (2015) features her philosophy of “Sharity, not charity” to address global economic disparities between African nations and other countries. She is trained in economics, an international globetrotter, business owner, and the founder of Folorunsho, a sharity creative collective that works with homeless youth in Freetown, South Africa. Her philosophy and creative ideas have been added to several high school studies and university programs. Watch the Consumer News & Business Channel (CNBC) video of her at the end of the newsletter.
About Mallence Bart-Williams
“Sharity not Charity”: The Story Behind the Boldest Ted Talk
Art/Film News
The Photograph
Issa Rae and Lakeith Stanfield star in the “The Photograph”, a romantic drama about love lost and found. A unique feature of the film is the use of flashbacks of Mae’s (Issa Rae) mother Christina (Chanté Adams) and her old flame Issac (Y’lan Noel) in 1980s Louisiana. Mae’s mother has recently passed away and left her a letter that explains more about the decisions she made during her life. Mae’s interest is peaked because she considers her photographer mother an enigma. Soon she crosses paths with Michael (Lakeith Stanfield), a journalist who wants to write an article on her mother’s legacy. And sparks fly between the two. This is an enjoyable easy-going film that relies more on the characters’ emotional states than dramatic fireworks. A pleasant film to watch.
Variety:The Photograph Film Review
Watch Trailer Here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=954b9vLAT6Y
Business News
A Young Author
Connor Benjamin Littlejohn is in the 6th grade of elementary school and already is the author of four children’s books. After the completion of a creative writing assignment in 2018, with help from his mother, he turned this school task into the book series: Tag, You’re It! This young author also has recently created a workbook to assist other kids on the path to be authors.
Meet the 6th Grade Author Who\’s Inspiring More Kids to Write
Book Review
Sewing Stories: Harriet Powers
Harriet Powers (October 29,1837-January 1,1910) was a wife, mother, and skilled artist of the sewing needle. She created story quilts that told of biblical stories, celestial events, and local legends. Learn more about her in the book, Sewing Stories:Harriet Powers’ Journey from Slave to Artist by Barbara Herkert and Vanessa Brantley-Newton (2015, 40 pages). AuthorHerkert describes the enslaved women who taught a young Harriet: “In the evening, the women gathered together and cut flour sacks and worn clothes into suns and moons and stars, lions, birds, and elephants for appliquéd cloth legends of Mother Africa…”(p. 5).
Born into slavery on a Georgia plantation, Harriet learned the ways of sewing and quilting. After the American Civil War, she and her husband purchased a small cotton farm. The family struggled with poverty throughout their lives but Harriet received much praise for her gift- a maker of beautiful story quilts. Today, two of her story quilts are on display at the National Museum of American History (Smithsonian Institution) and the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston. This book has an engaging story-line and cute illustrations to capture the imagination of both children and adults. Happy National Quilting Day
African American Quilting: A Long Rich Heritage
New Georgia Encyclopedia Arts & Culture: Harriet Powers (1837-1910)
Video
Mallence Bart-Williams Speaks About Mine Ownership in South Africa on CNBC News-YouTube
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